


The Blade of Darkness

by Scythe_lucifer



Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:10:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scythe_lucifer/pseuds/Scythe_lucifer
Summary: "Sometimes you want to kiss someone and be with them, but you can't because responsibility demands sacrifice."Those words echo through Finn's head every day. Did he make the right decision to pursue being a hero instead of love? He's 25 now, and his life is falling apart; he feels less like himself every day. Will the darkness inside consume him?All written in his POV
Relationships: Finn the Human/Flame Princess
Comments: 7
Kudos: 11





	1. Daily Life

Of all the things I have to do, this is at least my favorite part. Life hasn't been the same. Everything has seemed to slowly go off the rails. Life as a hero was fun and games, but not anymore; I am alone. It's just me doing all of this "hero" work that Bonnie assigns me. Nothing is on my own accord because Jake left for a life of his own. Some days I look back, and I almost miss his company. Almost, but he was weak. Jake couldn't handle the harder stuff I do now. He was about a life of fun and messing around. We all have to grow up and mature; I guess that not even Jake could do that. Hopefully he still has his relationship with Lady Rainicorn. I would hate for him to be alone, but I wouldn't feel too much sympathy if he is.

I pulled on my cargo pants. They were black and slightly heavy. Black is often hot and almost unbearable in Ooo's weather, but these are the best pants for the job. They offer some protection and can hold all of my various weapons. Maybe a little heavy for my liking, but necessities come at a cost. Maybe if I was insane I would wear a regular shirt, but I have to counteract the pants. I slip on a black tank top. Bonnie told me it's made of a special puncture-resistant material. Sure my arms should be protected, but who cares about that? It's a great way to show off my definition I have worked so hard to maintain throughout these years. No one will be watching me fight, but I like feeling good while doing my work. It's like the one saying says, look good, play good.

I look myself over in the mirror. I'm definitely a long shot away of fifteen year old me. My hair is cut short enough to my liking. My entire body is well toned. It's been hard to keep this figure, but I have to be at peak performance every single day. I take my favorite dagger and put it in the right pocket. I take a few more small blades, and I fit them in various other places. This was a few solid pounds to my person, but necessity has a price. I take my sword and sling it onto my back. It's secure enough not to fall out while I run, but it won't be on my back for long. I took another look at myself. I'm ready.

As I walked to the ladder, I stole a glance at the display case. There on a wooden ball held my old bear hat. I haven't worn that hat in years. The idea of wearing it brings pain to my chest: too many memories are associated with it. I hurried along and slid down the ladder. I walked out the front door. Now, it's time to get to work. I started to jog then I picked up the pace to a run. It felt like I could run forever some days. Somedays the adrenaline could make everything seem light and easy. This, fortunately, was one of those days. The grass was soft and squishy. I felt a light squish between my boots as I ran. Now I have to get out of my head. Now is no time to be distracted

People say I'm a hero, but I lack the compassion needed. I do whatever PB tells me to do. I am a servant of Ooo; I do not question whatever motives the princesses. My job is to carry out whatever job they give me without hesitation or question. If I do so then I can keep my job. Without this job I am nothing; I am alone. I look ahead, and within fifty feet of me stands a five story giant. It's walking, so this will be relatively easy to catch. It's heading in direction of the Candy kingdom, but it'll be a minute before he reaches it.

Breathe. Time to focus. This is the part of the job I hate. I don't seek understanding. My job is to eliminate the threats. I take in a deep breath. I exhale slowly. I take in all of my surroundings: making myself fully aware of all around me. I am not the executioner. I am the weapon that is used by the kingdoms. I am the blade that is plunged into the heart of evil. I am a well-sharpened blade. I am precise and deadly. I unsheathe my blade. I take in its weight and feel. The center of balance is at the point between the hilt and handle. It's perfectly balanced, and it is a dream to wield. It follows the move of the wrist without strenuous effort from the wielder. It is the instrument of most of these creatures' demise.

Those same words echoed in my head: "Sometimes you want to kiss someone and be with them, but you can't because responsibility demands Sacrifice." Those words have stuck with me all of these years. It seemed foolish back then, but PB was ultimately right. Responsibility requires sacrifice. I take one last look at the red blade of my sword. It almost has a malevolent glow hidden within its core. I guess that's what a demon's blood sword is like.

I looked at the giant. Time for him to go down. It is my duty. I let my muscle memory take over. I flew with speed towards the giant. I knew I couldn't take out its heart right away. I can't stretch up there without Jake, so I'll have to bring him down to me. I guess the only compassion I have left within me is I try make their death quick and with as little pain as possible. That is my last gift to all: a gift of swift death. I swing my blade into the giant's Achilles tendon. It's just pure instinct, but I somehow know how to kill every creature quickly and precisely.

The giant stumbled forward and lost its balance. I knew this caused the creature pain, but this is a necessary evil to make this quick. I always have to remember that I am the last thing of their lives. I am neither the judge nor the executioner. I am the blade brandished by Ooo.

I guided the sword into the heart of the giant. The giant felt little pain before its life drained away. I pulled the blade out of its chest. I went to wipe the blood off of the blade, but the sword had absorbed the blood before I even reached it. I didn't know much about this sword. This was a one-of-a-kind blade. No one had any idea how it worked. I guess the blade required it because the sword never needed to be repaired or sharpened.

The clean up for these jobs were always the worst job, but Bonnie always had something prepared. I would leave that up to her. I pulled from my pocket my transmitter. I told her that the job was done. I walked home for there wasn't anything else for me. I did my job with precision and speed. No one could complain about what I did. I did the dirty work, so why complain? The world revolved around every princess. They could ask for the world, and it would be brought to them on a silver platter. I can't really complain too much. They are my employers after all. They give me a purpose, but I could find a use for my skills without them. They paid me well, and Bonnie would upgrade my equipment without question. She gave me any equipment I needed without me needing to pay.

Another day gone. More to go. I am able to deliver quick death to every creature. This job has taken most of me away. I try to hold onto the shreds of my soul, but every day I find myself slipping further and deeper away from who I once was. It scares me, but fear is unacceptable. I must do what must be done.


	2. Confrontation

Breathe.

Focus.

"Sometimes you want to kiss someone and be with them, but you can't because responsibility demands Sacrifice."

Get out of my head Bonnie! Finn, focus!

I must stay sharp and precise. I am not the executioner; I am the weapon. I am the blade plunged into the heart of evil. I must protect those who provide. I am the barrier between them and evil. I am the balance keeping everything working. I am the sacrifice. I am a martyr of good.

I moved with speed around the dummies. My sword passing through each one with ease. By sheer muscle memory, I had rendered 10 dummies dead. Each cut and slash was precise and planned. Nothing was on accident. Each dummy had one cut on its body, and they were all life-ending slashes. My skill scares me because I don't remember how I learned all of this. I don't feel sorrow or pain. Maybe it's because I know the dummies weren't alive, but deep down I know I enjoy it.

Every night I lie awake for hours on end; my brain in turmoil with who I am. I'm supposed to be a hero with compassion. I'm supposed to slay only evil. The only problem is that I don't know if something is truly evil. I do what I am instructed to do. I don't think, I just eliminate any threat. At first this job was almost against everything I stood for, but now I find myself almost savoring each kill. It's almost like something has slowly started to change who I am from the inside out.

When did I change? When did the innocent and naïve Finn change into the killer he is now? Where did everything go wrong? Bonnie's voice often haunts my dreams. I often dream of her as well. She was mine, and look where I am now. I am alone. All I have left is my work and myself. The only problem is I don't even know who I am now. Life is a complicated mess that I can't unravel. When did everything go wrong?

I remember that fateful day with Flame princess. We kissed that day. Things seemed to go pretty well from then on. We only continued to grow closer. I felt as if she was the girl meant for me. I could imagine spending my entire life with her. Things were perfect between us. How things led to now truly baffles me.

Perhaps it's Bonnie's damn words! That same phrase has been branded into the back of my skull. I hate her, Glob I hate her. It's her fault I'm like this. She's the reason I've been reduced to a husk of a man. I respected her as a friend then. I took her advice because I though she knew best. I was growing closer with Phoebe every day, until I decided to take her advice. I grew distant and further away than ever before.

Every fiber of my being loathes Bonnie. I have only one option now: I have to confront her. I have to expose the darkness within her. I have to destroy her for everything she has done to me. I have nothing left, so what is there to lose?

I sheathed my sword, and I started my trek towards the Candy Kingdom. My feet pounded into the ground with each step. Each step radiated anger, misery, and desperation into the Earth. I increased my pace to a jog, and each footfall hit harder than the last. After five minutes of moving, I was pushing my entire body weight into the Earth beneath me. The thing that frightened me was that I felt no pain or strain in my shins. I felt quite the opposite; I almost felt lighter with each footfall. I fell into a rhythm that was increasing exponentially. I was soon sprinting at my full speed feeling no weight on my feet. I had fallen so far into the trance of running that I didn't notice that I had already reached the Candy Kingdom.

The guards didn't even meet my burning gaze as I approached the gate. I could see the fear in their eyes. I could see one was trembling. I spoke no words to them, nor them to me, but they opened the gates as fast as I was approaching it. No one questions my presence here. The only communication to me is directly from Bonnie, so she'll be the only one who'll ever know when I'll arrive. Good thing she didn't know I was here now.

The element of surprise is the one thing I need on my side for this. I may have brawn over Bonnie, but her brains can easily outweigh my brawn. She cannot be prepared or else today is my last day walking the land of Ooo. I scaled the side of the castle, and into a side window. I crept through the hallways towards her lab. She always spends her time down here. She even moved her bed down here. Like me, she doesn't have much to live for, so why bother leaving the one room?

I saw her figure hunched over a brown paper scribbling down some science-y nonsense. I crept right behind her. I slowed my breath to a bare intake, so she wouldn't catch the sounds of my breath. I slowly pulled my sword out the sheath, and looked into the red blade for a moment. The dark core within it almost seemed to glow. Then with the quickest movement my blade was around her neck.

"Hello Bonnie, I have been waiting a long time to do this."

"Oh hello Finn, I've been wondering how long it would take you to finally come down here."

"You mean you knew I was here the entire time?"

"Oh Finn you're so dull sometimes. Of course I knew you were in my kingdom! I know when anyone or anything enters or leaves my kingdom. It's technology stuff that your feeble mind wouldn't comprehend."

"Listen here Bonnie, I didn't come here to be insulted. I've come here to give you your final reckoning. It's time I pay you back for what you're turned me into! I lost Phoebe because of you. I'm nothing now, and you're the one to blame for it!"

I felt myself shaking after every word. I was fuming. I'm a steaming cauldron of rage about to overflow. Normally, I would want to be in control and emotionless, but not this time. I wanted to feel this kill. I wanted to feel her blood flow from her slit neck over my hands. I yearned for this kill. This would be one not out of duty or even with respect, but out of pure rage and hatred.

"Oh Finn, you think I'm the one to blame for all this apparent "Misery" ?You really believe I'm the one who's transformed you into a husk? I'm not the one who did this to you, I'm just one princess who employs your service. You know exactly who is responsible for your misery."

"Oh you're a smart one aren't you? You can't play the observer card here. You may be one hand of many who swings my sword, but you were the one who forged and shaped this blade! You act like you know me so well. You're so smart aren't you? If you're so smart, then give me one reason not to slit your throat for all your crimes?"

"Oh Finn, you're so full of rage and contempt. You're blinded by rage. I thought Death taught you better than that."

"Death?"

"Yes, Death, the one who trained you on all your combat skills. He was the one who picked up your broken pieces and shaped you into the sleek killing machine that you are today. Don't you remember at all? Why do you blame me, when he was the one who shaped you into a perfect killing machine?"

"You're mad Bonnie, Death never did this to me. He would never intervene in the matters of the living."

"He never has. How did you become like this Finn? Tell me what happened. If I am really to blame, then when did I sculpt you into who you are today?"

I tried to reach through the back of my mind. My brain pounded within my skull. I tried so hard to try and find something. I searched and I searched for something, anything, but I found nothing.

"I don't know Bonnie, it's all blank. Why can't I remember anything?"


	3. Explanations

"I don't know why I'd think you would remember a thing. Now, if you could kindly remove your sword from my neck, I will explain everything."

"How can I trust you? What makes me think you aren't going to immediately request backup to come arrest me?"

"Because you are wielding a sword that could kill me faster than I could make a peep. I know how skilled you are, I'm not an idiot."

"Fine, now can you explain all of this...quickly please?!"

"Calm down... Calm down. What do you last remember before all of this nonsense?"

"All I can remember is the past five years of my life slaying enemies. That's all I can recall. Why can't I remember?!"

"It's okay Finn. Calm down, take a deep breath. Here drink this, it'll help."

"What is it? I'm not drinking some mystery liquid."

"It's chamomile tea, it'll help you relax, now stop asking questions. Clear your mind and think." 

"I remember something! Billy and I were collecting all the gems in all the princesses crowns. I remember he was the Lich all along. Jake and I followed him through the portal. I don't remember anything after that, it's all blank. Why can I only remember to there? That was so long ago, I was like 15 then. I'm 25 now! How did I disappear for 5 years and not remember a single thing from then or my past!"

"Death really did one on you. I guess it's time you learned the truth, but you won't like it."

"I need to know what happened. How did I change? And how do you know everything? Why have you kept everything from me?"

"All in due time. Now shut up, so I can answer all your questions."

"Fine..."

"It all goes back to that night. The Lich used you to collect all the gems of power to open the enchiridion to the multiverse. He opened a portal to Prismo's time room, so he could wish all of life away..."

~~~~

"I wish for the exti-"

"Nooooooo."

I jumped off the ledge towards the ledge. I pulled my sword out my backpack and aimed towards towards the Lich's heart. I don't care if this kills me, I will stop him at all costs. 

"-nction of all li-"

He couldn't finish whatever we was doing. I had plunged my blade deep within his core. It was over. He was going to die here.

"Child, what have you done? This isn't the end Finn. You may have slain my body, but I will not die. The only one who will die today is you."

I tried to move out of his reach, put the Lich pulled me closer to his face. He looked at me with those soulless eyes. I tried to scream, but I couldn't move. I felt so cold. I couldn't move, I tried to make a single noise, but my mouth stayed agape. I felt him squeezing my body hard. It felt as if he was pushing the soul out of my body. My vision began to go blurry. I was loosing consciousness. His body began to evaporate into mist, but he continued to squeeze. Before I could see the rest of his body disappear, my eyes closed.

"Hello Finn. It's time to wake up now."

"Hmmmm? Wha-? Where am I? Where's Jake?"

"That is all behind you Finn. Come we have work to do."

"Go where? Where are You? How come I can't see anything."

"You have not fully transitioned over to my realm yet. Now follow my voice, so you can see."

"You haven't answered my questions. I want to know where I am. Where's Jake!?"

"You're quite inquisitive aren't you? All will be revealed soon enough."

~~~~

"Ah we're here. We can finally finish your transition. Open your eyes Finn."

"Where am I?"

"Welcome to Hell Finn. This is going to be your new home."

"Hell? I'm dead?! How can I already be dead, I had a whole life ahead of me. Why would I be in Hell? I was a hero in my lifetime, shouldn't that constitute some good afterlife for my service of good?"

"Sadly, that's not how the afterlife works Finn. Everyone comes here, that's it, doesn't matter what you did in life; however, no torture or punishment, just dead until your soul passes onto the greater realm of existence. You are an exception Finn, since you came from the catalyst comet, and you are the embodiment of good, when your soul passes on, you will be reborn."

"Hold on, hold on now. Catalyst comet? What are you rambling on about Death? I'm so confused right now. I don't want to be dead. I just want to live a normal hero life."

"Well, answers will come eventually. There's nothing I can do for you Finn, enjoy your last moments of being you."

"No, I don't want to reincarnate. I don't want to be someone else. I still have time up there. My purpose of being a hero can't be over. There has to be someway for me to be in the land of the living. I mean you go up there all the time!"

"I can go to the land of the living because I'm Death. It's my job. There's nothing I can do for you."

"If it's your job for you to go to land of the living, I want your job."

"You can't just have my job. You already had a chance at life to do a job, unfortunately, the Lich cut it short, but that's not my problem to solve."

"No, I just need a job Death, you don't understand. I need anything! I will do anything if it allows me to go into the land of the living."

"The only thing you could so is to reap souls, but Finn, you can't carelessly make decisions like that. You must know the consequences of the job. You must know that just because you can go to the land of the living, you cannot interfere with the living. You have to kill those on the list. You will never be allowed to die. You are selling your soul for the job, so you will see all your family, friends, everyone around you die while you remain. This job has never been given to a mortal before, so I don't know what changes you will experience or whether you will remain yourself. I don't even know if a mortal could take the job."

"Yes I may see my friends and family die around me, but I'm already dead, and I can return to Hell to see them."

"If their soul passes on then they are gone forever. Taking this job will stop your soul from ever passing in the greater realm. You have been reincarnated for centuries as an embodiment of good, do you wish to stop that cycle? I don't know if you'll remain pure, and that essence of good could be gone forever. Do you wish to doom all of Ooo to that fate?"

"What happens if I accept, and it doesn't work?"

"Your soul will be destroyed and your existence will be terminated. Your soul will not pass on to the greater realm of existence, it will be like you never existed in the first place. Outside of thought and reasoning. People will remember your memory, but that'll be all that's left of you: simple electrical signals in people's minds."

"This is a heavy decision. There are too many bad sides to this agreement that make it a good idea, but I want to see everyone again. I don't care if I can't interact with them, I just want to see their faces."

"You realize you'll be putting yourself in a prison of torment watching them die? You'll be an outsider to them. You can't simply return to life. I don't think you understand."

"If I can return to Ooo, I can be a permanent protector. Will I age?"

"You can change your age. But Finn, you won't be a permanent protector, you will be my agent: a servant of Hell"

"I'll do it! You may not want me to do it, and it may be a really stupid idea, but this way I'm permanently me which Ooo will always have me as a great protector."

"You won't be their protector Finn! Don't throw yourself away for some delusions and dreams. However, I cannot deny you of your choice, I can only try to dissuade you. I do not want to accept your offer Finn, but there's nothing I can do. You must pledge your soul to me for you to accept."

"Very well, Death I pledge my immortal soul to you. I humbly give my soul to you, so I may become your apprentice of death."

"I accept your offer. I now have possession over your soul. Your soul will never pass over. You are my apprentice for all eternity. You are a servant of Hell. You will become my reaper of souls. Now, let's get to work."

"What are we doing first?"

"Well, you wanted the job, so you have to know how to actually reap a soul. It's time for your training."

"I'm ready. Let's do it!"

"Good, that's excitement is good, this training is going to take awhile. What experience do you have with weapons?"

"I love swords, they're my favorite. I can use other weapons, but not sufficiently, I just use swords."

"Well, I'm going to teach you how to use every different type of weapon. You may not be able to die when you are in the realm of the living, but you will feel pain. You will sustain damage, but it will all heal eventually. People will resist death, so you must be prepared."

"Who will I be killing?"

"Everyone that doesn't die on time, you will follow no moral code of ethics, you will follow my rules. If they are on the list, they die, it's very simple."

"I've only killed bad guys."

"This I know Finn, but you will have to forget that. There are no truly good or bad people Finn, there are simply those who make good or bad decisions, that's why all come to my domain eventually. You will no longer worry about the so called right or wrong, simply those who must die."

"Very well then, can you start teaching me now?"

"Of course, let's begin with arteries Finn. Every being that has a heart has arteries that carry large amounts of blood around the body. This blood is then spit into veins and then capillaries. If these arteries are severed, large amounts of the blood will leave out of victim's body leading to a quick death. In a human there are three big arteries that will lead to a quick death if severed: the carotid, femoral, and brachial artery. The carotid artery lies along the neck and head of the victim. The femoral artery follows along the thighs of the victim. The brachial artery follows along the upper arm of the victim. Of course if the heart is punctured or destroyed will also result in a swift death. The aorta if severed can also lead to death because it's direct connection with the heart, however, it's obviously protected by the rib cage and can be hard to accurately cut. There is also the brain stem, if severed will result instant death."

"Death, isn't this a bit morbid and dark?"

"Well, you are now my agent of death, so you must know the ways of death. The reason I teach you is because I want to accurately deal with victims swiftly. I don't want to cause them much suffering in death, so we strive to do it as fast as we can and not take pleasure in their demise. Now, continuing on with anatomy."

~~~~

"Well Finn, it's certainly been an interesting experience working with you. It's time we sent you into the land of the living once again. Remember, if you ever need to speak with me, you can easily transport from there to here and vice versa with this."

"A crystal?"

"Yes a shadow crystal. It's completely comprised of dark energy. It will be your passage here, but if you loose it you will loose all contact with me or here. It is your connection to your soul, so if you lose it you won't remember any of your training with me."

"Very well, I will guard this with my life, if I still had one that is. And I won't die?"

"Yes, you will not die of any wounds, you will simply feel pain until your body regenerates."

"Oh... Okay. Well I think it's time for me to go."

"Yes it is, Finn I know I said you can't interact with the living, and it's true, but I will allow you to see everyone for 24 hours. You must say goodbye and distance yourself from them in that time. After that, if you interact with them outside your duties I will know."

"How will you know, and how will I know who to kill?"

"It's all the crystal Finn. You must have it in our possession at all times to retain memory. It will alert me if you break the rules, and alert you when someone needs to die. It will speak to you, and only you will be able to hear it."

"Okay I won't lose the crystal. Thank you Death. Goodbye for now."

"Goodbye Finn."

~~~~

"Jake! Jake! Where are you?"

"Finn? Finn? Finn is it you?"

"Yeah buddy, come here! I'm back!"

I saw Jake walk in the room with a look of horror and panic on his face. He held his sword in defense. Something wasn't right.

"Jake, hey buddy, put the sword away, it's me Finn, remember?"

"Go away shapeshifter! Go away! Don't torment me with sights of Finn. I can't bear him being gone. It's my fault he died. Do you want to hear me admit it?! Do you want me to yell out to all of Ooo? I'll do it, just please go away."

"No Jake, stop. Please calm down. I'm not dead, well I am, but that's not the point. I'm back Jake. I'm back and I've missed you."

"Is it really true? Are you real? It can't be, you've been dead for five years! It can't be real."

"Five years? I've been gone for five years?!"

"Yes, but everything's about the same. Northing has really changed since you died except monsters have like tripled, but I take care of them along with all the princesses."

"Has anyone forgotten about me?"

"Of course not, everyone thinks about your sacrifice and what you did for Ooo every day. Bonnie even put up a stature in your honor in the Candy kingdom. It has you over the Lich holding your sword."

"Where is my demon blood sword?"

"I kept it safe in your memory Finn. It's hanging up in the treasure room, let's go get it. After, you can tell me why the heck you're alive."

"Sure thing buddy."

~~~~

"Really? You became Death's apprentice? You work for him now? That's crazy man."

"Yea, it is, I had to sell my soul to him for this."

"You sold your soul to Death? Dude that's serious, why would you ever want to do that Finn?"

"It's a long story, but like I'm from the catalyst comet, and I'd never be able to pass on and a lot of junk. It was a tough decision, but I needed to return. What was after the Lich when I killed him. He said I'd be the only one who would die that die."

"Well he was obviously wrong because his entire body disintegrated into mist He's gone and you killed him Finn!"

"Really? I actually defeated him? It was worth it!"

"I don't know Finn, I think I'd rather have him be around with us together again."

"But he was going to destroy all of existence."

"Perhaps, but I would want you alive over anything. Things might be different."

"But I didn't want to take that chance Jake. I'd risk my life for Ooo a thousand times over."

"You truly are a hero Finn."

"Say what's up with my sword?"

"What do you mean?"

"It used to be like all red Jake, it has like a black core now below the surface. It's like glowing."

"No way Finn, your brain is making up junk. The sword's always looked like that."

"You sure?"

"100% Your brain is probably scrambled from being dead for so long. You're imagining things Finn."

"Well, if you say so."

The sword felt different in my hands. It almost felt like it gave me power. I almost felt invincible with it in my hand. The dark core glowed a malevolent black. Normally, this would have freaked me out, but Jake said it was just a hallucination. I'm just imagining things. I like this sword. It feels good in my hands.

"Hey Jake, I only had 24 hours to interact with the living. Let's go say goodbye properly this time before my time runs out."

"Will I ever see you again Finn?"

"You will but I won't be able to talk to you or interact with you Jake. I will be a mere shadow to you Jake."

"I can't just see you come back then leave forever Finn."

"I know, but this was the only way for me to come back. I had 24 hours, so how about he make the most of our time together."

"Okay buddy, let's go say goodbye."

"One last adventure Jake, together."


	4. Denial

"Well, what happened next?"

"It's as simple as you think it is, you and Jake went to each of your friends to say goodbye. It was a final farewell."

"Well, if what you have said is true, then how come I don't have these memories? I should have the crystal that keeps me tied to Death. And how do you know the story so well?"

"You showed me the crystal. You wanted me to examine it to see if it could be destroyed."

"Well I obviously had a good reason to join Death, why would I ever want it destroyed? I sold my soul for the job, and he spent five years training me. Why would I ever want to forget that? I hadn't even started my job yet."

"Actually, I didn't know about the crystal until about a month later you came back. You needed to see if it could be destroyed. You didn't want to be a monster anymore."

"What happened?"

"Well the reason I know so much is that I gained your memories when I touched your crystal. Unfortunately, they don't fade like regular memories. That was a shadow crystal with your soul tied to it, it's mighty powerful. I can easily access your memories I saw like they were photographs in a folder. You wanted to the crystal destroyed because you were losing yourself. You wanted to take it all back. Life was misery."

"I pledged to do the job to permanently protect Ooo. That seems like it wasn't me."

"It's true, that wasn't you. The old Finn had died to the Lich's hands in Prismo's time room. The new Finn that came back was an efficient killing machine. The Finn that came back couldn't interact with the living, so he was worthless defending the pour souls in danger. He could only kill who the crystal decided. As a hero, it tore your ideals down to shreds. You wanted it to go away. It doesn't help that your old girlfriend left you because you horrified her."

"Flame Princess left me? Why? How?"

"You could only kill who the crystal demanded. You were a slave to Death. You weren't the Finn she fell in love with. Your goodbye broke her heart. It didn't help you had to kill her brother. She tried to stop you, but they were no match to stop you. Death trained you too well. You felt no sorrow, it was just a job. You became a broken man. A husk of a hero."

"This can't be true! I would never do that. I pledged to protect those in danger. I wouldn't just kill Phoebe's brother! This can't be right. I would never want to say goodbye to Phoebe. I would defy nature for her."

"Sure you may have loved her, but Death overcomes nature and life itself. You cannot overcome something that powerful, especially if it has control over your soul. Death may have made you think you had control, but the crystal controlled you. You asked me as a last resort to try and escape."

"This can't be real. I have no soul? Why did you transform me into the blade of Ooo?"

"It's simple, you wanted to protect Ooo, so I put your skills to use. You had all these special skills of disposing enemies, plus the monster problem in Ooo was insane, so it was good to have you controlling the chaos."

"What about Jake? Where's the crystal?"

"Jake respected your wished of goodbye, so he left. He was going to protect Ooo some more, but after we transformed you into the solution for all our monster problems, he went with Lady Rainicorn to be a dad."

"Wait, my bro's a dad? I missed out on that?

"Yes, but it was where he needed to be, and he's a great one as well. And the crystal, Death may have said you had to keep the crystal on you to retain your memories, but he wasn't completely honest with you. You didn't lose your memories if you didn't have it on you, but if you got so far away you would start losing your memories."

"So you hid it away? You hid it far away that way we could recover it if I ever needed it, right? Please tell me you just hid it far, far away."

"Well, you're not going to like this. You wanted the crystal destroyed, so we destroyed it."

"Destroyed it?! You destroyed it? That was all my memories, everything of who I am, gone? There's no way for me to return to Hell now. I have no connection to Death now! I am a husk of a man not just because I have no soul, but because you destroyed any last shred of me!"

"It's not like that. I said we destroyed it. You wanted the pain to go away. You wanted it to all stop. Peppermint butler even found out how to destroy its dark magic. You were the one who ultimately destroyed it as an act of defiance against Death."

"I don't care if I even destroyed it Bonnie! It's gone, along with whatever part of me was tied with it. Death may have shaped me into a killing weapon, but you were the one helped seal my fate. This is all your fault. The old Finn is dead forever, and it's your fault. It is time for you pay for all your misdeeds."

"No. no, please don't say that. I was only doing as you asked. I was helping you!"

"Goodbye Bonnie. I came here to kill you, and you will never leave this lab again alive. You will die alongside all your work. Your entire legacy will die with you because once your gone, I will burn the candy kingdom down in my rage. I will eliminate any shred of your existence here today."

"Please Finn, have mercy."

"I am not one of mercy. I am an agent of Death. You will die by my hands."

"Please..."

"See you in Hell Bonnie."

"Maybe I'll see Marceline. I hope you find your way Fi-"

I plunged my blade deep within her chest cavity. Bonnie couldn't finish her sentence. I locked eyes with her as I slowly pushed the blade deeper within her heart. She grasped desperately for air. I twisted the blade to finish the job. She died with no other sounds, just terror set deep within her eyes. The image of my face burned within her retinas.

I pulled the sword out and examined it. The dark core within it seemed to grow larger. It simply absorbed Bonnie's blood like a sponge. I felt power radiating from it. Like darkness and evil flowing from the handle into my veins. The handle felt hot in my hand. I tried to drop the blade, but my hand wouldn't listen to my brain. It held on tight as the blade seemed to inject an invisible venom with my veins. The venom flowed throughout my entire system. It filled me with rage.

My brain went cloudy. I couldn't think anymore. I felt myself grow stronger. My body started to move of its own will. I couldn't control my own movements. I was a passenger, forced to bear witness to actions not of my own. I don't know what was controlling me. I tried so hard to stop moving. I used every last ounce of my willpower to stop myself. I was useless. I tried to scream, but I had no voice. I watched my body run out of the castle killing anyone who stood in my way. Before I even reached the castle doors, I lost consciousness. 

~~~~

I woke up with my brain in shreds. I could barely collect one coherent thought. The actual process of constructing thought brought splintering pain throughout my skull. Great, I can't even think. What even happened yesterday? I don't even remember leaving the candy kingdom. What did I do?

I shambled out of bed and over to the bathroom. I ran the faucet until the water ran warm. I filled the sink full I splashed water in my face in an effort to wake myself up out of this haze. I need to think. I need to remember what I did yesterday. It's all like some foggy dream swirling around in my mind. I looked up to gaze into my reflection. This wasn't right. No this isn't right at all. I don't quite recognize the face in front of me. I took a step back to get a better look at my reflection. NO, there's no way this is right. I have blonde hair and blue eyes. I've had a scar under my right eye for the past three years after a nasty battle with a giant crab. How come I don't see these things on my face?

Why does the reflection I see not match the one I saw in this same mirror yesterday. My hair has been short for a while, but how is it brown? It's a light brown, but it was distinctly a nice golden yellow blonde yesterday. I remember my eyes being bright blue, how come they are brown? The scar underneath my eye has disappeared mysteriously. It's gone like it never existed. I looked down to my calf. I had a scar there from another fight, but it's not there either. I looked at my figure. I've been toned and lean for a while, but I was never near a six-pack, yet how come my abs are chiseled into an eight-pack? Why is my entire chest look ripped? My do my arms have more definition now than ever before? What's happened to me?

I moved from the mirror in a panic. I began to scramble around to find my sword. No matter where I look, I can't seem to find it. It's not in any of its normal resting places. After what seemed forever and me throwing everything in the treehouse in disarray, I found it right outside the front door. I hadn't even taken it in yesterday, thank goodness no one stole it. I wonder why I didn't take it inside, no matter, but this isn't right. The dark core has seemed to nearly double in size from yesterday. The outside of the blade is still a nice red, but the black core has almost consumed the entire inside. Why does it keep growing? What did I even do yesterday? I can only remember going to the Candy kingdom to confront Bonnie. I need to ask her about these changes. Maybe some part of her science will be able to answer my questions.

I didn't even feel like changing into some new clothes. My clothes may smell of cotton candy, and are soaked in what seems like sticky sweat, but I need answers. I'll bother about laundry and hygiene when I figure out how in the world how my eyes and hair changed color. There has to be some answer in my head from yesterday I'm sure, but I just can't remember. My brain goes into waves of splitting pain anytime I try to think back to yesterday. I can remember any other day just fine, but it feels like my brain is trying to block out yesterday. It doesn't want me to know its secrets, but I'm sure Bonnie can help me. I just need to keep running to the candy kingdom. I have to run faster, I need answers.

As I pushed harder to run, I went faster, but I felt like I was running faster than I have been any other day. Not only am I running faster, but I feel like my stamina has increased alongside my stride. I'm not breathing as hard as I should be. I'm already at a full sprint, but I'm barely heavily breathing. I feel like I could do this all day. I continued pressing harder and faster until I reached the Candy kingdom, or rather what was left of the Candy kingdom.

I stood there looking at the smoldering mess, mouth agape. I can't believe my eyes. The once proud candy kingdom is now a pile of rubble. The castle is still standing, but not on much foundation. The tree is a blackened clump of branches. The castle looks like a simple breeze could knock it over into pieces. The actual kingdom is barely recognizable. Most of the houses are knocked down and burnt. The houses that are still standing aren't fairing any better than the rest of the kingdom. There seems to be no sign of life anywhere. The walls surrounding the kingdom are the only things untouched. I walked into the kingdom to investigate.

As I look around, things seem to get worse and worse. There seems to be no life anywhere. What even happened? Something big did this. Something evil. Things look like they were burnt. Someone filled with hate and evil did this. This wasn't simple destruction, things were purposely destroyed then burnt to hide the evidence. There's only one being who's smart and evil enough to do all of this. He always happens to have a lot of fire as well.

Flame King.


	5. Searching For Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn confronts Flame King for the destruction of the Candy Kindom.

Flame King. He's surely the one that destroyed the candy kingdom. There's' no one around who possesses that much hate and rage. Also, no one in Ooo possesses enough fire to torch the kingdom, except him. It's also no secret that the Fire kingdom has been rivals of Candy kingdom for millennia. The hardcore fire has always contrasted Bonnie's sweeter nature. She's dead, along with the rest of her kingdom, I need to avenge her. I need to seek justice and do something good. I will kill Flame king for you Bonnie, mark my words. There's no time to waste, so I might start running to the kingdom now. If I keep a good pace, I'll be there in no time.

I reached the gate taking deep heaving breaths. Normally, I don't tire from excessive running, but I pushed myself harder than usual to get here fast. It's usually pretty easy to get past any guards guarding a kingdom. Everyone knows my place in Ooo, so it's best not to question my motives for being there. I believe my time as a part of Death's hand helped shape fear into the hearts of every citizen. I tried to pass the guards, but one stopped me.

"Woah Finn, Flame King hasn't summoned you into the kingdom, you aren't welcome here. Finn, we both know the rules, now turn around and go enjoy your time off until another monster needs to be disposed of."

"Are you denying me entrance to the kingdom?"

"You heard me Finn, you don't need to repeat an obvious question. You aren't welcome here unless you have permission by the King."

"I'm guessing nothing's going to change your mind?"

"No. Rules are rules, and as the captain of the guard I have to follow them. Don't make me have to personally escort you out of the kingdom."

"That won't be necessary."

"Good, now lea-"

I quickly plunged my blade within his fiery core. He fell dead before he could even finish his sentence.

"Well, I think you're going to need another captain of the guards. Anyone else want to follow the rules and try to escort me out of the kingdom? You're all welcome to try."

No guard dared to even breathe. They were paralyzed in fear. I had singlehandedly killed their captain without even flinching. I did it with such ease and precision, it would be a fool's choice to even come close to me. I looked each guard in the eyes and I walked into the kingdom. They're most likely going to alert the Flame King. Good, I want him to know I'm coming. It's time he pays for his actions.

I walked in the throne room expecting guards to be surrounding the king, ready to kill me with a single wave of his hand. What I saw, surprised me even more: an empty room. It was relatively empty, that is. It was Flame King sitting on his throne with Phoebe hung in her lantern above him. He had that sick, twisted smile plastered upon his face. It always seems like he's either smug or angry, no in-between.

"Hello Finn, not only do you show up to my kingdom unannounced, kill my best guard to gain access to the kingdom, but you walk in here expecting me to let you leave this room alive."

"It's nice to see you too Flame King. Yes, I expect to leave alive after I get the answers I'm looking for."

"Oh, you need answers huh? Well Finn, I hate to disappoint you, but you can't demand answers from me. You don't have power here."

"Flame King, you will answer my questions. It's a very simple one that I think you know the answer to. Who destroyed the Candy Kingdom? The entire place was destroyed and burnt to a crisp. There's only one kingdom that has the fire to do so and the hatred of the candy kingdom: yours."

"As much as I hate Bonnibel, I would not simply destroy her kingdom overnight. There are rules to this stuff, and a war would have been the ideal way to do it. That way we can enjoy defeating them then burning their precious kingdom in front of their very eyes!"

"No, I don't believe that for a second. I know you would do anything to see her downfall."

"Well if I'm so hell-bent on her kingdom's death, why have I waited so long to do it then? I could have easily done it in your death, but I didn't."

"I know you Flame King. You're a smart one. You just were waiting for the right time to do it!"

"Right time? You are loosing yourself Finn. The right time for her destruction passed a long time ago. Besides, killing her would go against our treaty."

"Treaty? What treaty? Since when has there ever been a treaty?"

"Oh when you were promoted to the sole protector of Ooo after your encounter with Death and all that."

"How do you know about Death?"

"Everyone knows you died, and everyone knows you came back. You went parading around Ooo for an entire day on your return. A treaty was made after you killed my son. You were Death's hand, so all the kingdoms formed an alliance to protect ourselves. We knew that we had to be united in case you went after a princess or someone."

"No, the Fire kingdom would never agree to something like that. You're to evil to be civil and passive!"

"Well, the death of my son by your hands changed me Finn. It was actually Phoebe and I's idea to actually make a treaty."

"No, that can't be."

"Oh it is Finn, and don't worry I know the answer to your question."

"Oh did you go behind everyone's back because that's exactly what you'd do!"

"No Finn, you did it."

"I would never destroy an entire kingdom. I am Ooo's protector."

"Maybe you once were, but that was before you died. It seems you're going off the edge Finn. You don't even remember killing all those poor souls!"

"I would never; I'm a hero."

"You're a monster Finn. You are a killing machine fueled by rage and hatred. My scouts saw you go insane yesterday. They alerted me immediately. I watched you kill every citizen then burn the kingdom down. You never slowed down. You didn't stop until it all turned to ash. Then you returned home. You aren't a hero Finn, you're the evil one here. Don't worry, I haven't alerted the kingdom's yet. I was going to apprehend you myself and take you you to every kingdom. I wanted to publicly execute you, luckily you've done my work for me by coming here."

"Impossible. You will never take me, and I'm not evil! The only one who is evil is you! I know you burned down the kingdom, and I'll prove it!"

"Not likely, guards, seize him."

Out of nowhere, 50 guards appeared out of thin air. They formed a circle and started closing in. I know this won't be pretty, but I have to escape by any means necessary. I can't let them take me, who knows what they'll do to me. I examined my surroundings. There were no windows, no other exits besides the giant door that had just been locked with a massive beam. Every guard was armored and had weapons. I don't think there will be a way to get out of here unscathed, but escape is possible.

The guards start to move, slowly closing the circle. I pull out my sword and wait for the right moment. This will take precision and exact timing to escape. If I move too early, some of them could easily grab me. I have to take them at once, they try and bust through the door. It's completely made out of stone though. There's no way in hell I'm strong enough to break through it, so I need to disarm them or stun them long enough for me to somehow move the stone locking the door.

Although, the guards are a lot stronger than me. They have trouble moving the door when there's a few of them. This is not good. Escape seems nearly impossible, but I have to escape. I want to live. Soon, the guards begin to rush forward. I stand still until they're nearly upon me. Right as they reached me, something takes over me. It seems like muscle memory, but my body has a mind of its own. I leap into the air; I start to run across the tops of the closer guards, moving my blade through their heads. Each dropping one by one. I just needed to finish them off and try to open the door. By the time it seemed like enough were dead to not stop me, Flame King was at the door, waiting for me.

"Well, you made quite a mess of my guards Finn. As much as I love watching you dispose of enemies with speed, I cannot let this continue. It was pitiful to see you even try and escape. You could not move the stone beam. It was a pitiful excuse for an escape; however, I do admire your determination. Look over there Finn, look at what's left my guards."

"It was life or death for me. I had to escape or else I'd die. I had to do what was necessary to ensure my safety."

"Ah, as much as you might justify your actions, the speed in which you killed them is beyond simple safety. I watched you Finn. You relished every single death of my guards. A true hero would have let them take you, then you would plead your innocence. It's time for you to die. I don't want to wait any longer. You have proved your real self."

"No, you can't do this Flame King!"

"You really believe you are innocent. You can even see your own destruction before you. You believe with every fiber of you being that you are a hero."

"Yes! I am Ooo's protector. I am the blade plunged into evil's heart. I am the shield which innocents can hide behind. I am the protector in the shadows killing all who oppose the safety of Ooo!"

"Wow, you are almost convincing Finn. Fine, I'll let you prove yourself that you are truly good.""

"Good, I'll pass with ease."

"We'll see about that. In the enchiridion, it states that a hero must only kill those who are evil. No one is truly evil, they either simply make bad decisions or oppose the rights you stand on. You might be evil to them because you might slaughter a village in their world because they are different than you. You must find those who are truly evil in their core and rid them of this world. To prove your hero's intentions, I have a test for you. You must decided whether this creature dies."

"Easy, bring on the test."

"It might not be as it seems Finn. "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Bring on the creature!"

A trapdoor in the center of the room opens and out emerges a figure carrying a creature bound in chains. I couldn't see what the creature was until Flame King brought me closer. What I saw astonished me. There Jake was bound in chains lying on the ground helpless.

"This is your test Finn. A hero would not kill a simple innocent creature. Here is a creature who has devoted a large part of their life being a hero with you assisting Ooo. Jake was once a criminal mastermind. He did anything to get money. He was not evil, but simply made bad decisions to acquire money. He is ultimately an Innocent creature. He is a father and a loving husband. Here is the key to his chains Finn. Unlock him to show me that you are not evil."

"Well this is too easy. Jake's my best friend. You chose the wrong person Flame King! Oh man, I can't wait to go home."

"Then show me Finn. Unlock his chains. Prove that a hero would not kill an innocent creature."

I took the key from his hands and walked closer to Jake. I reached him and set my sword down on the ground. I looked around until I could see the lock. The chains seemed to be enchanted, so I guess that's why Jake wasn't shrinking to escape. I found the lock and inserted the key. I slowly tuned it until it unlocked. I carefully slid the chains off of Jake and looked at him deep in the eyes.

"Thanks for saving me buddy. Let's go home, okay?"

"Alright."

I looked Flame King in the eyes with triumph written all over me. Instead of seeing rage or disappointment, I saw a twisted smile stretch across his face. I wondered why he was smiling. I had won. Why would he be happy?"

I looked back to Jake and saw that I was putting him in a choke hold. I had no idea what I was doing. Why was I doing this? Why can't I control myself. My other hand was holding my blade. Oh no. NO!

I tried to stop myself, but my body wouldn't listen. The blade started to move closer to Jake. Please no. Don't let this happen. I strained with all my might to stop my arm, but it continued to move closer. A voice in my head started to speak to me.

"Yes child. Do it, kill your friend. Show me the evil within. You cannot stop me, I am part of you."

I wasn't in control. I was a passenger to my own crime. I saw the blade inch closer to Jake's heart. I was locking eyes with him. I saw the betrayal in his eyes. His last moments were of me looking down at him. I tried to say anything. I wanted to tell him that I wasn't in control, but nothing came out.

The blade slowly worked his way through his flesh. I felt bones and flesh tearing until it punctured his heart. It plunged deeper within him. I watched the last moments of his life slowly drain out of him. I tried to cry. I tried to yell out, but my voice wasn't even a whisper. I pulled out the blade and dropped his corpse on the floor.

I looked over to Flame King. He was laughing at me. I had just killed Jake in cold blood. I had proved to him that I was evil. Why did I do it? Why couldn't I stop myself? I saw my blade start to turn darker. It seemed to grow more evil after killing Jake. It's like it stole his life energy. Before I knew it was was running towards Flame King. Anger and rage began to consume me. He had brought Jake to me. It's his fault that Jake is dead. It's time for him to pay. Don't worry Jake, I will avenge you.

I ran faster, slowly approaching Flame King. He looked terrified as I closed in on him. I stuck out my sword, ready to kill him. I ran and ran until I finally reached him. How do you kill a man made out fire with simply a sword?

"You think you can kill me Finn? No mere sword can harm me!"

"This isn't any regular sword. It's demon's blood. I can kill anyone with it!"

I plunged the blade within his armor. There was no heart within him, but I felt his heart start to fade. His flame started to shrink into his armor. All of his essence seemed to travel through the armor into my blade. Heat started to fill my entire system. I felt his energy begin to consume me. Before I could make sense of anything, I blacked out.


	6. Further Down

I woke up shirtless on my bed, head burning. Glob, this is the worst headache I've ever experienced. I remember trying to kill Flame King. I was watching him die, but I was consumed by heat. I blacked out before I could finish the job, how did I even end up here? There were scorch marks all around the room. I looked over to my bedside table, and I saw a glass of water. There were singed footprints all around the floor. As I was trying to wrap my head around all this confusion, a loud crash came from the kitchen.

I grabbed my knife from my secret pocket and crept down the ladder. I was careful not to make a sound. Whoever was here knew I was asleep. I reached the next level and carefully jumped to the ground. I looked over to the kitchen and I couldn't believe my eyes. There was Flame Princess stooped over picking up pots and pans that had fallen from the ceiling. I guess she accidentally knocked them over, the holder is quite finicky sometimes. Wait a minute! Why in Hell's name is she here?! I put away my knife and carefully crept closer. I didn't want to startle her, so I gently spoke. I don't want her to set this place on fire.

"H-Hey FP, whatcha doin' here?"

"Oh! Finn, you startled me a bit. I didn't hear you get out of bed. Oh did I wake you? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to knock these down. I was just looking for something for you to eat."

"You didn't answer my question. Why are you here? With me especially?"

"Well, why do you think I'm here? You didn't magically get home on your own."

"Actually, that happens more than you would think it does. Also, how could you have brought me home. I would be burned and you were trapped in the lantern."

"You didn't kill my father, which is unfortunate, but you incapacitated him enough for his curse on the lantern weaken enough for me to escape. I carried you home after you passed out."

"What about Jake?"

"HIs body is safely stored in a different kingdom. I know you didn't mean to kill him, but you won't be allowed to know where he is being kept. He will be buried under the tree, don't worry about that."

"How do you know I didn't mean to kill him? How do you know I'm not evil? I killed your brother, remember? I could be ready to kill you right now. You didn't remove any of my blades. Also, why the fuck am I shirtless?"

"Woah, calm down there Finn. I'll answer your questions, but sit down please. You're scaring me."

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm just really on edge right now. Everything is blurry, and nothing has an answer."

"You're shirtless because your internal body temperature was way higher than what it normally is."

"How do you know my internal body temperature."

"I'm a fire elemental dummy head. I could read your body temp when we were dating and now, it was too high to be considered safe. I'm guessing your sword tried to absorb my father's energy since he's evil."

"Why would you think my sword would want to absorb you father's evil energy?"

"Your sword is cursed of course. It surprises me that you don't think so. I mean, look at it! It was once red right? Plus, look at yourself, you're not the same Finn I used to know."

I ran to the bathroom and looked into the mirror. What I saw didn't look like me. I know I'm looking at myself, yet I can't recognize the face that I'm staring at. I can't believe it. I thought the last changes I saw were drastic, but I'm almost a completely different person. My hair has darkened into a jet black, plus my pupils have blended into my irises completely. I mean I looked ripped yesterday, but not like this. It looks like I've been building this frame for years. I feel stronger than ever. I have to go find my sword.

"Hey FP! Where did you put my sword?"

"On the stand downstairs. Isn't that where you normally keep it?"

"Yeah I do, just checking."

I slid down the ladder to the bottom floor. There was my sword, lying on its stand; however, it was different from yesterday. The sword was nearly black. There was maybe a hint of the red hidden within the blade, but it was near impossible to see. I picked up the blade to examine it closer. Immediately I felt energy from the handle radiate into my hand. I dropped the blade in fear. A searing pain shot through my head. Augh, what was going on? What's wrong with my sword? Is FP right? Is my sword cursed? My hand started to burn; I yelled out in pain.

FP came rushing down the ladder in a panic. She looked worried. She started saying something to me. I couldn't hear anything she was saying. The pain seemed to be growing throughout my body. It was worse than fire or acid. It consumed all my senses. My eyes begin to close as my consciousness begins to slip away. I'm losing myself, and I try to fight to stay awake. I'm fighting a losing battle, I try my best, but soon I slip away from reality once again.

~~~~

"Simon, what can you do for him? After I brought him from the Fire kingdom, he was out for two days. I'm worried something's infected him."

"I see, I see. What was his behavior when he was awake?"

"He was very confused. He was irritable and irrational. He kept asking questions. He said everything was blurry."

"Interesting. When did he pass out? Was it after sitting down?"

"No, it was after he went to go investigate his sword. He seemed very rushed after looking at his reflection. He was obviously in a panic."

"Did he pass out after seeing the sword?"

"No, it was after he touched it. He was screaming in pain. He was shouting that it was burning; however, when I saw his body temperature, it was actually dropping."

"That is indeed odd. Let's have a look at him then."

"Anything?"

"Oh no... This isn't good. This isn't good at all."

"What's wrong?"

"You can look at his body temp. Look for yourself."

"Oh my.... That's not right. How can that be? He's still breathing!"

"I'm not sure what kind of magic is going on here, but this shouldn't be possible. Say, did you bring that sword along with you?"

"Actually I did, I figured you'd want to examine it."

"Yes, I would like to. Bring it here."

"Here it is Simon. I wrapped up the handle because it was dangerous to touch."

"How so?"

"It was cold Simon. It was so cold. My skin turned blue just barely touching it. Luckily my heat prevented me from getting a frost burn, but it was close."

"You also said that Finn was experiencing burning sensations? A sword that can give a fire elemental frost burn, interesting... I think the sword is cursed."

"Well, isn't that a little obvious Simon? Look at it, it's black! It was once red for crying out loud!"

"Hmm. Don't bring that sword close to Finn. I don't know what kind of effects it will have on him if he's passed out. His subconscious is at rest, so if it cursed with something, that could easily take over."

"Right."

"Well, if you would like to leave Phoebe, you can. I'm going to run a few tests on him while he's still out. You did say he was out for two days last time, right?"

"Yes, he was out for at least two days. We were in the middle of the third when he finally woke up. If it's alright with you Simon, I want to stay with him."

"Whatever you'd like Phoebe. Since you are staying, let me show you to the guest room, then let's run some tests."

~~~~

"Is there any way to fix him?"

"We all know that there's dark magic here, but I'm not much of an expert to do anything. There's nothing me can really do for him."

"Simon, are you sure there's nothing we can do?"

"Yes Phoebe, I'm sure. I would like to contact someone who's more of an expert on his subject, but peppermint butler died alongside the rest of the Candy Kingdom."

I opened my eyes. I heard them talking, but it was always in the background. I have to show them nothing's wrong with me. My head may feel blurry, but I'm fine. I don't know why these two keep making a big deal of me passing out. Maybe I've been working too hard. I should take a break.

"What's going on here?"

"Finn! Thank Glob you're awake!"

The fire girl rushed over to me to give me a hug. Before she could reach me, the old man stopped her. She was struggling to break free, but apparently he's stronger than he looks. How was a girl made of fire? Why am I in a room made of ice? Who's Finn?

"Finn. I'm surprised you actually woke up. I was thinking you'd be in a coma of some sorts. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling okay. My head's pretty fuzzy and my hand is all sore and wrapped up. Overall I'm feeling fine, but say, who's Finn?"

"You don't know who Finn is?"

"Not a clue. You two keep saying his name, but there's only three of us here. Is he your butler or something?"

"Oh this is worse than I thought. Not only has your physical condition changed after killing Jake, but after reuniting with the sword, you have lost your memory. Perhaps, your tie with Death has grown thin over the years."

"Hey old man! Answer my question! Who's this Finn guy? Also, can I like get some clothes because this room is cold. How in the world did you make it out of ice?"

"Oh, yes, yes. I'll have Phoebe grab you some clothes to warm you up. I'll answer your question about Finn later. For now, just call me Simon."

"Okay Simon, can I go home?"

"No you may not. Unfortunately the condition that brought you to me has worsened."

"I don't feel sick. Head's just a bit fuzzy with all my memories. Did I fall and get a concussion?"

"Something like that."

"Okay, when am I supposed to get better?"

"I'm not sure. You've been here for two weeks already."

"Oh wow. I don't ever remember coming here."

"Yes, Phoebe brought you to me. What do you remember last?"

"I don't remember anything. I just know I want to go home."

"I see, I see. Well, just go ahead and lay back down. Phoebe will be back shortly with some clothes for you."

I saw Simon slip away to a separate room. I wonder what he's getting? Hopefully something that'll make my head stop pounding. I wonder who this Finn guy is; I wonder if he's cool. Before my eyes closed, I overheard Simon speaking softly.

"He was the hand of Death right?"

"Yes, he killed my brother remember? He's also been going off the rails recently."

"Right. He destroyed the entire Candy Kingdom without remembering a thing. He also can't remember anything now. He forgot who he was."

"That's unusual because he remembered all the events from the Fire Kingdom when he woke up last."

"I think the sword affected him. You said that was the last thing he touched?"

"Yes. We know it's cursed of some sort."

"I think we have to get him back to Death."

"We can't do that! Death will do something terrible to him, I'm sure. He destroyed his tie with Death."

"Yes, he destroyed his crystal. He lost all the memory of being with Death. Since that was his connection with his soul, perhaps it's been a slow loss."

"Is Death the only option?"

"Yes. We have to return him to Hell. We can't kill him because he's already dead. We need to find a portal to bring him back."

"We need someone with dark magic to do that, right?"

"No exactly. Someone with dark magic can easily open a portal; however, we could make a deal with Death himself."

"You sure about that? Don't you have to give up something to make a deal with him?"

"Yes, but I think he'll want Finn back. He betrayed him and all. Finn was quite an investment. Death can't come up to our realm after he employed Finn with reaping souls up here. He might destroy Finn's consciousness to gain back his powers, or he'll put a better leash on him. Either way, Finn is in no condition to be kept here."

"I don't want to give him to Death!"

"I know Phoebe, but we can't leave him like this. He doesn't even know who he is."

"I guess you're right. How do we send him back?"

"I'll show you. Let's go get him."

The two returned back into my room. I heard their conversation. I knew they wanted to send me somewhere. I didn't want to go anywhere. I just want to go home. I saw there was a sword laying on a side table. There was wrapping around it. I ripped off the coverings and grabbed the sword in defensive instinct. Before the two could react, A searing pain shot through my system. I instantly crumpled to my knees. I tried to let go of the sword, but it was stuck to me. I felt energy start to penetrate my core. My vision began to cloud, and my mind slowly went away. Instead of passing out, I started to stand. I felt my strength growing, and the pain from the sword subsiding.

I looked at the two with fire in my eyes. They were planning on doing something to me. They couldn't be trusted. I started to walk towards the two. The girl cowered in fear behind the old man. They would be no match for my blade. As I came closer, I saw the old man muttering words. No matter, let him say his prayers. I'll let his last moments be with hope before I behead him and the girl. 

I reached the two. I looked at the man deep in the eyes. He looked defiant. I can't wait to wipe his smug confidence off his face. I brought back my sword, ready to swing. I started to swing the blade at the man's neck. Instead of hitting flesh, I was stopped in my tracks. I was frozen. How was he doing this?

"Well Finn, looks like you have really lost it. Well, hopefully Death can help you. Goodbye."

I tried to scream at him. I strained against the magic holding me. Then, my entire world was surrounded by an infinite darkness.


	7. Death

"Well Finn, it took you long enough. I'm glad you've finally come to your senses and come back to me. Is it because you started to lose your memory?"

"Who is Finn, and who the FUCK are you?"

"Looks like your memory is worse than I expected. When you destroyed the crystal, I knew you would lose your memory of what you were, but not who you were entirely. No matter, I have your soul here; I can easily get you back up to speed."

"Answer me fuck face, who are you?"

"Woah, quite vulgar today, aren't we?"

"Answer my goddamn question!"

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"No more joking. I want answers now! I want to know where the hell I am, and how do go home."

"Well, you got one thing right. Welcome to Hell! I figured you would know where you were going since you came here."

"No, some old fucker and a fire girl sent me here. I was about to decapitate them when I was sent here."

"Ah, right. Well, I can see you are not in a pleasant mood right now, but answers you shall receive. Just follow me, and I everything will be made clear."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You don't really have a reason to trust me. I am the living embodiment of Death, so that's something to consider. I guess your reason to trust me is I can offer you answers, and where else are you going to go? You have no idea what's going on! Your brain was thrown in a blender, and every minute things are getting fuzzier and more distant, aren't they? Does the world feel like it's constantly spinning?"

"It does, but really slowly."

"Perfect, your mental liquification is going along well, now, let's fix it or else I will have no-one to go reap souls for me. I still need someone to do your job after all."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Can I please just get some fucking answers so I can go home?!"

"Yes, yes. Sorry for keeping you waiting. Come, we are going to the Dark Shard."

"What's there?"

"I'll show you, now we haven't much time left, so hurry along"

~~~~

"So what's this dark thing again?"

"Like I said before, it's a soul shard. We collect these and attach them to souls. Luckily for you, they do not store souls, but simply are a bridge to them. You had one, then you shattered it. Oh well, I figured you'd eventually want to break free; after all, I did send you after people close to you to test you loyalty. You lasted longer than I thought too."

"You lost me again."

"Basically, I will connect that shard to your soul, then you'll regain your memory again. The problem is with soul shards, is if you are without one for too long, you start loosing every part of yourself. You're in the phase of extreme memory loss. Soon, you'll start to lose control of your entire self and become no more than a husk. This process has sped up since of your sword."

"My sword? How could that be. It's just a normal sword."

"Not really, but I'll explain in a minute. This time, I'm going to imbed that soul shard within your core, so that you won't be able to break free so easily next time."

~~~~

"Where am I?"

"Welcome back to Hell Finn! You're back despite your best efforts to escape me."

"Wait what?! How can I be back in Hell? I destroyed that crystal. You shouldn't be able to come to the mortal realm!"

"Looks like your memory is taking a minute to process. Your brain does have to reload all your memories without the shard. It might take a few days before you're back to normal."

"You said you would imbed the soul shard within me? Am I now more permanently bound to this realm?"

"You agreed to my deal Finn, so don't act surprised that I have to keep you on a shorter leash. After teaching you, my power was reduced and given to you. I can no longer go up to the mortal realm and reap souls, that's your job. I can't simply destroy you because that power has to transferred into a different willing soul."

"So you're saying that as long as no one wants the job, I'm stuck with it?"

"That is what you agreed to, and even if you find a willing soul, your soul is bound to Hell. I told you before, your soul will never pass into the great beyond."

"Damn, why did I ever agree to this?"

"Because you were a child Finn. A child who died doing what they loved: being a hero. You wanted to do what you thought you were destined to do. I tried to dissuade you, but you cannot stop a freight train so easily."

"Where is the shard? Is it my brain, so I'll feel pain if I try and remove it?"

"Even though I planned on putting a shard in you, there has been a complication."

"What kind of complication?"

"Well, you actually don't have a soul shard right now. You're right now just attached to the Dark Shard. I can't attach your soul to another shard. Something has corrupted either your soul or the vessel, and never has a soul corrupted."

"How could I be corrupted? That makes no sense, I'm the same Finn that you originally trained without a soul. Nothing has changed."

"Like I said before, the reason your memory decline was so fast and extreme is because of your sword."

"Where is my sword?"

"It's somewhere else after I sensed evil presence within its core, well the entire blade now."

"It's just a demon blood sword. It shouldn't be evil, this is Hell after all."

"You are right, we have demons, but those are on a different Death world."

"Death world?"

"Yes Finn, there are several of them. Different souls at different points of death exist in the different worlds. New souls arrive at the seventh Death world. Then as they age, they slowly go up the worlds until they reach the greater beyond."

"Oh, that's interesting."

"Yes, but that's besides the point. We're right now in the first Death world, one step away from the greater beyond; however, we do not have demons here, they exist lower in worlds four or five."

"Still though, how can my sword be considered evil if its just demon's blood?"

"Because it's not just demon's blood anymore. Demon's blood is a very corruptible substance, since it comes right from an evil source, its concentration is so high that it is easily corruptible by more evil or good for that matter."

"Well, since I was a hero, did I corrupt it to be good?"

"Surprisingly no, but even if you did, it's not considered evil. The fact is something infected your sword. Why do you think you continually got stronger and faster?"

"I don't remember much, remember?"

"Right. Basically, your sword acted as a parasite. After you killed the Lich, his essence went into the core of your sword. When you came back to your world empty of a soul, an open vessel if you will, the Lich could start to infect you. The reason you didn't see major changes right away was because you were killing at a small scale."

"Wait, I was killing things?"

"Yes, you were the executioner of Ooo, but I'm explaining right now, so shut up. Where was I? Oh yes, your sword. You were able to gain strength and speed because each kill slowly fed the Lich. You were given greater power as long as you fed him, the problem arose when it had been accumulating for five years. All the anger and hate that you thrust into each kill started to seep into your core. The Lich was able to leech into your system. You became filled with hatred, fueling drastic action for more death. 

When you convinced yourself that Bubblegum was the cause of your misery, the Lich was able to fuel that anger into killing her and the entire Candy Kingdom. He was just powerful enough to get you to kill her, then once you committed such an egregious act, he was able to take over your entire system. He was able to use your body for a killing spree. The reason you started seeing more physical changes as because after he took over, some bit him was left behind. When you killed Jake, he was able to take over again because that anguish was more food for him. That anguish was so strong that the changes were even more drastic than the last ones. Once you connected with your sword for the last time, he was able to take over almost completely. That's why your memory loss was so severe."

"So you're saying the reason I was so angry, was because I was being slowly controlled by the Lich?"

"Yes, and its also partially my fault this happened."

"How so?"

"Well you remember when you worked for me?"

"Yes, I do. I remember it all. It was awful. I had to kill Phoebe's brother!"

"Yes you did, and I'm proud you did it. It was a type of test, to see if you were up to the job. I didn't realize your sword was infected with the Lich or I would have acted otherwise. That was the first kill that started anguish within you. It was a spark of misery and hatred towards me. The Lich was able to start feeding on you then you know the rest."

"It's all your fault?! You're the reason Jake's dead now! You're the reason I'm here. You're the reason I'm infected by the most primordial evil in all of existence. Bonnie is dead, and you are the reason it all started."

"Finn, calm down. If I knew the Lich was in your sword, I would have never done it."

"Yea, you wouldn't because you know the destruction I've caused! You still would have made me do it, but not with my sword. You would still want to see me in anguish as I slaughtered my friends because it was my tie to you! How many did you make me kill, that needed to die?"

"I- uhm..."

"Answer me Death! How many needed to die?"

"N-None of them n-needed to die..."

"You had me slaughter people to test me? To see if I was up to the job? I told you that I would do the job to be part of Ooo. I was willing to do the job because I believed it could let me help Ooo. Do you realize that this is all your fault?!"

"This is not all my fault! Your sword has been the one corrupting you. Remember, you smashed your tie to me!"

"Actually, I smashed my connection to my soul. That would mean it would be easier to infect me! You want to know why I smashed my crystal?"

"Uhm..."

"I smashed it because I didn't want the job any more Death! Because of your so called tests, I quit! You caused so much anguish within me, that I had to leave! If you hadn't simply tested me, none of this wouldn't have happened. I know who's the real cause of this. It's not me or even the Lich, it's you Death."

"Finn, you're not thinking rationally. I haven't purged the Lich from your system yet. He's still in you, feeding on all that hatred and anguish. He's controlling your brain Finn. He wants you to take it out on me. Please Finn, calm down, and let's think about this."

"I didn't imagine I'd have Death on his knees begging me to spare his life. How funny, is that you had control of me until now. Now I'm the one who controls your fate. The time for thinking is over Death. You didn't think when you sent me after those innocent people. It's time you pay for your crimes against humanity."

"Please don't do this Finn."

"I'm sorry Death. This has to be done. Luckily for me, you didn't hide my sword very well. It's time for your demise Death. Any last words?"

"You don't know what you're doing."

"I know exactly what I'm doing."

"If you do this Finn. You won't be able to connect with your soul again. Your mortal soul will shatter. Any last connection with Finn will be gone."

"I'll have my memories. I can't connect with my soul anyways. Because of you, the Lich prevents that. Farewell."

He may not have had eyes, but I could see fear within them. Death's last moments were of him on his knees, begging for mercy. Who could have thought the lord of Hell would beg for mercy? I am not one of mercy. It seems impossible to kill the embodiment of Death, but he is just a vessel of its power. That vessel is now gone. 

His body lays motionless on the floor. I can feel his power coursing through my entire system. I feel my mind start to slip away. I can feel these are my last moments. I would say it's been nice being Finn for this long, but I haven't been him for years. He died in Prismo's time room.

Time for a new era to begin.


	8. Return to Ooo part 1

Five Years Later

Glob I hate coming to this place. There's always someone who needs to die. It doesn't help that there's too many people here. I can't go anywhere without attracting attention to myself. Everyone always gawks and points. I get that I'm Death, and that's cool and all, but we all jobs to do. I do mine so this world can function, and they need to do theirs. Usually I dispatch souls swiftly and without pain because despite my reputation, I have to have some empathy. I'm guessing I'll have to go end some grandparent's life in front of their family. It's always old people because they have the most will to live.

I was not expecting what I saw today. Normally Ooo is very peaceful. I haven't been here in a few years because souls were coming without a hitch, maybe a little earlier than they were supposed to. I don't mind when a soul comes, as long as it isn't late. I was not expecting to be greeted to a landscape burnt black. Normally, I come by the grasslands next to a large treehouse. Nothing remains of the treehouse. There isn't even a mark on the landscape that it existed. I guess it burned down with the rest of the grasslands. 

I started to walk along the landscape. The ashy ground crunches beneath each of my steps. The blackened landscape stretches past anywhere I can see. There's no foliage or greenery, just ashen destruction. Who could have done all of this? Not like I care, I can't meddle with mortals, but this is concerning. Perhaps this is why I've been getting souls early. Someone has been hard at work. Let's see why I'm even up here.

I looked down to my soul shard. It's not really a soul shard because no embodiment of Death has a soul. It's my attachment to Hell, that's all I need for transportation and assignments. I've always wondered who or what decides people's fates. Whether it's attached to their soul for their specific time to die, or whether some omnipresent being watches and decides our fates. Either way, it's not my place to question, it is my place to carry out that will. Looks like a young soul this time. A girl who is holding on with a will of iron. She was supposed to die a day ago, time for me to go set fate right. 

Looks like she's hiding around the Fire Kingdom. Time to go looking. That's the only problem with this job, is that I have to go find people. I also don't get any information. I get age, gender, and location. I guess that's all you need to easily dispatch a soul, but more information could be helpful. Who am I though to change the system? I have the most power in Hell, yet I don't know how to change shit. What a time to exist.

~~~~

The fire kingdom looks just like the rest of Ooo. It's just barren and burnt everywhere. There's blue flames dotting the landscape along with rubble of buildings. This doesn't seem like a task done overnight, this is a conquest of destruction. Someone has an agenda, and as much as I'd want to stop it, I really don't care at all. I have a job to do, and frankly, I could care less about the problems all these pitiful mortals have. They are temporary, but I am a permanent spot in the circle of life, so life goes on without me.

It seems like her life force is coming from some rubble over here. It looks like a popular zone as well. There's more rubble around here than other places. It seems like this was a small town of some sort. Lets' see here... oh look, she's probably under some rubble, surprising...

Let's just get this over with. I'll just dig for her body, then snap her neck, simple. Then I can go back home and continue my existence in peace. Even though Hell's a great place to torture souls, the first dead world is the most tame. Everyone is nearly at peace and not even fazed by whatever I throw at them. I do, however, like to travel down at see all the other souls in turmoil. Regardless, I just want to get this over with.

I started to dig through the rubble. I kept throwing piece after piece and chunk after chunk until I discovered a bit of a cavern. There was twisted iron along with the rest of the building. It seems like this was a prison. Looks like she's the only living thing in this area for a while. All I've seen is charred bones at most. Well, it's a shame she's got to die, she's really holding on. Perhaps it's because she's a singularity.

From what I can tell she's a fire person, and I know they are normally bright orange and red. This one's blue, perhaps her anomaly prevented their death. Wait, is that right? I haven't seen a fire person in years, so my knowledge is quite limited. As I approached closer I saw her breaths were short, shallow, and far in-between. She seems unconscious. Great another dilemma that I have to deal with.

Morals have always been my enemy with my job. The simple act of taking a life is deemed immoral, but how you take it and when is even worse. I don't need to be liked, but I would like to be respected. I should want to make death short, quick, and relatively painless. The problem arises is what weapon do I use, if one at all? Do I make it bloody because severed major arteries cause quick death, or something more clean, yet a little longer? There is a lot to be decided when taking life. Do I inform them of their death, or have them blissfully unaware of my presence?

I have always tried to make the best decisions despite my lake of empathy towards mortals. I know it is hard for the living, I have to understand and be knowledgeable. There are arguments protecting and bashing me for every single action I take. There is no winning ever in this game. There is no black or white, good or bad, simple a complicated mess of shades.

However, I do choose to always tell my victims of their death and undoing. Even if it frightens them, I do like to think it gives them a bit of peace knowing everything will be quick and easy. That it is not some random event leaving you in pain, but a quick action of fate. The girl is unconscious; she won't wake here. I have to find somewhere, anywhere with fuel to bring her to life. I must save her life before quickly ending it. 

I stooped down and put my arms beneath her lying form. I care fully lifted her, then started to move out of the rubble. I don't know how far I must go, but I will travel for her sake, but mine as well. I have a code to follow, even if some still see it immoral.

~~~~

I have traveled for what seems like days. I have seen the sun rise and fall more times than I would like to keep track of. I have walked past plains of charred landscaped, memories of cities, charred sticks of forest trees, and bones of far too many people. I do not stop and ponder, for I must first wake her. I do not know her name, yet I carry her to help save her. My goal is to kill her, and I could have been home long ago, yet I continue to walk. She continuous to live, and I continue to walk.

I do not tire, for I breath no air. I do not hunger, for I have no stomach. I do not sleep, for my eyes do not close to exhaustion. I do not speak because there is no one to speak to. I simply walk for as long as I must. The emptiness of a barren landscape is the music that follows my journey. Day, night, rain or shine, I walk to save you.

~~~~

I do not know how long I have been walking for. I have walked without stopping. I have climbed mountains, traversed valleys, to try and find a place to save her. All my work has finally come to a close. I can see the end of the destruction just a few more miles farther. I can see a forest just beyond the ridge of destruction. I know she is made of fire, so I will save her, then I will kill her. Then I can return home. I can return home to a life of emptiness...

~~~~

I pulled back my sword from the tree trunk. I stood back as it gently fell to the ground. I sheathed my sword, then started to pull the log to our little camp. This was only one of many trees that I have cut up into small chunks for her fire to feed on. It's been about a week since we first arrived at this spot. Thank Glob I don't tire or need to sleep or this process would take way too long.

I have been trying to nurture her back to life. It would have been easier to kill her on the spot, but noooo, I have to have a code that I set and follow for no reason. I don't need to have a conscience to sleep better at night or some bullshit like that. I don't sleep. There is no reason I should follow a moral code, yet I do. I am literally Death, but I follow rules. Ugh, sometimes I loathe myself.

Today has been another painstaking day of chopping wood, breaking it down, then slowly bringing her flames back to life. I know my efforts are working because her fire has gone from blue to a now light orange. Still, if she wasn't an anomaly, I wonder how she didn't die? She was supposed to, and that's my job, but one must wonder...

Her breathing has become more regular now. It is now a consistent inhale and exhale, a far better improvement from her breathing a while ago. I must continue on with my efforts. I pull out my sword and start to hack away into the log. This isn't the best tool for chopping wood, but it gets the job done. It always keeps a razor shard edge, so I don't fear of it ever chipping or breaking.

As I continue to hack away at the log, wood pulp flying everywhere, something in the corner of my eye catches my attention. I turn and see the girl starting to move. She must be waking, I was starting to think she was in a coma of some sort. I stopped my chopping and watched. Her eyes fluttered open, and she slowly sat up. 

She looked at her surroundings, eyes scanning the landscape. Finally, her gaze landed on me, and immediately her expression changed. It went from analytical to joy, not the reaction I was expecting. Usually all I see is fear within their pupils. 

"Wait, Finn! Is that you? It can't believe it, but it's really you!"

The girl stood up and started to rush towards me. She looks like she's going to attack me. I gotta act fast, I cant pull my sword out of the log. Oh wait, I have a knife in my side-pocket. And before I could even react and pull out my knife, she was on top of me.

"No way! I thought you were gone forever! Thank Glob you're back! Things have been so much worse after you disappeared."

"Wait stop right there. Who is this Finn! I am Death. I do not know who this Finn is, but he is clearly not me. I must look like him or something. Regardless, you are awake now. It's time to discuss my presence with you."

"Oh are you here to kill my dad because that would be just peachy. Ever since you tried to kill him, and after you disappeared, he's been on a rampage against Ooo. He inflicted a tyranny over the Fire kingdom then started attacking every kingdom of Ooo. Without a Candy Kingdom or you to keep him in check, he's been unstoppable. I'm glad you're here; we don't have much time left, let's go stop him."

"Hold on right now. I am not here to kill your dad. I'm here to kill..."

"That's great, but there are bigger fish to fry. Now you said you weren't Finn? Yeah, cut that out. You are the hero of Ooo. C'mon we haven't much time left. Say how long was I unconscious for, I almost died, so thanks for saving me."

"I- erm- uh..."

"What, cat got ya tongue? It's fine, explain on the way!"

"I-I uhm... okay then."

To be continued...


	9. Return to Ooo part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end. Hope you enjoyed!

"So you're saying your dad is going around Ooo killing anything that tries to stop him?"

"Yes, that's his idea. Like I said earlier, without you or Bubblegum to stop him, there wasn't anything keeping him in check. Besides you instilled fear in his heart after you almost killed him. He's trying to convert the entirety of Ooo under his tyranny. Any kingdom that doesn't want to join or opposes resistance meets the same fate as so many others: burned to nothing but the floor beneath them."

"Holy shit! Since you are his daughter and all, how come I almost found you dead? I figured, if anything, you would be at his side."

"Well that's' the thing; I'm not evil like my dad is. I was the first one to try and stop him, since I'm his one and only daughter, he locked me in a prison instead of killing me. He consequently forgot about me, and the reason I was almost dead was because of his invasion of the water kingdom. They nearly defeated him, but they flooded almost the entirety of Ooo in the process. As you can imagine, water doesn't mix well with fire."

"Oh I see. So are we going to defeat your father or something?"

"Yes, we are going to put an end to his reign of terror. He has killed too many people in the process. He has to be stopped if we want any part of Ooo left. Say, you said you were here to kill someone, what gives you that right??"

"Yes. I am the physical manifestation of death, and it is my job to come to the mortal realm to finish off any mortal who didn't die on time."

"Wait, there's a set lifespan someone has? I thought it was all fate. Does that mean you can see exactly when someone will die and you can set when someone will die?"

"Actually no. I don't know who or what decides how much time someone has. I am just sent to the mortal realm when someone doesn't die when they're supposed to. I'm supposed to keep everything settled."

"Oh, well what if someone dies early, do you send them back?"

"Actually no. We accept whenever someone comes to Hell. I don't care when someone dies because I have to keep track of souls when they come and go, but I don't have to do as much if someone is on time or early. It's just a pain in the ass when someone's late. I have to track how long I was in the mortal realm, when they were supposed to die, when I killed them, and who I interacted with. It's a whole time-consuming ordeal that I hate doing."

"Well I suppose that makes sense. You only come up here when someone's late. You aren't here for my father, then who are you after? Also, why'd you restore me back to full health if I was almost dead?"

"Well, I will be honest with you, I was sent for you. You were supposed to die in that prison. I was sent to finish the job."

"Oh-. If you're here to kill me, then why didn't you kill me while I was almost dead. That surely would have been easier than restoring me to full health. How does that make sense?

"For some reason I decided it was a good idea to have a moral code. I don't have a conscience, so why do I insist on having one? I'm not sure. I decided at some point that people need to know that they are going to die. It isn't to strike fear into their hearts, but I want it to bring peace to them in their final moments."

"You do have a conscience then. You are valuing life by informing people of their fates. You are showing compassion in their last moments of life. You make sure they are able to comprehend their fate and make peace with it. Maybe you still are Finn."

"Okay, whoever this Finn guy is, you need to stop talking about him. I seriously have no idea why you refer to him as me, and who is even is. And no, I firmly know I do not have a conscience. You can't have any moral quandaries to be the manifestation of death. You have to have the dedication to take life without hesitating. It's my job to keep the natural order of life going. The only conscience I might have is how I kill. I try to do it painless and swift. Makes everyone's lives easier."

"Really? You don't randomly stab or cut, there's a way to do it?"

"Yes there are several ways to end life quickly without pain, Death trained me before he retired."

"Wait you remember Death. You remember your training. That means you must remember Jake and who you are!"

"Unfortunately your preconceived notion of my absence of memory is wrong. I was a soul in Hell, and I wanted to train under Death. Perhaps I was a person on this mortal plane beforehand, but I do not remember. All I remember is that Death trained me to be his apprentice then I took his place after he retired."

"So Death retired? How is that possible, I thought it was a permanent job."

"It is."

"Then how did he- Oh..."

"I did what he commanded. I owed it to him. He formed me into the soul that I am now."

"So you do have a soul."

"Enough, with the questions. Where are we?"

"I thought you said enough with the questions. Or were you just referring to me?"

"Shut up."

"Okay Mr. Cheery, we are currently flying over the remains of the spiky kingdom."

"How close are we to your father?"

"I'm not sure not too much longer, the last I heard of his plan was when he visited me. After the water kingdom he was going to the Slime kingdom then due north. We'll head to the Slime kingdom, and go from there."

"Alright, can you fly any faster?"

"Listen buddy, I'm flying as fast as I can with you on my back. It's not really comfortable, so I want you off me as soon as possible."

"Very well. Continue on then."

"Thanks for your riveting leadership plans."

~~~~

"Are we not going to continue flying? I thought you wanted to track down your father as fast as you could?"

"Well, if you didn't have to be on my back while I was flying I wouldn't be so tired. I can't keep going forever."

"Right right, I forget that you mortals tire easily. Man that really must be a damper to have to rest after your energy is depleted?"

"Wow, thanks for the gloating. Yes it is, but I probably could have kept flying without you, but you're just so damn heavy."

"I would be heavier if I was alive, and unfortunately for you, I'm practically chiseled out of stone. Now, how long will you rest before we depart in the morning?

"We'll leave when we leave. I have to sleep for a couple hours then eat something. If you'd like to make yourself busy for the night, I wouldn't mind if you got me some fuel for eating tomorrow."

"Fine, I'll find you something, though, there's not much of anything around here..."

"Yep, you got all night to figure it out."

"What makes you think I won't kill you in your sleep? You're at full health, I have nothing stopping me from completing my mission?"

"I don't care if you kill me."

"Really? You're so hellbent on stopping your father. Surely you would want to be at ease if you die?"

"True, I'd have unfinished business as a spirit, but that would be your problem to manage in Hell wouldn't it? I won't ever move on to the great beyond, will I?"

"Uhm, uhh. Yeah, you're about right."

"Really makes a fella wonder doesn't it?"

"I guess..."

~~~~

"Are we there yet? We've been flying for a couple of hours now, I'm sure we'd be there by now."

"Have you never been to Ooo before, things are really spaced out, well at least the main kingdoms are. We're in the slime quadrant, but I don't see anything. We should have seen it by now."

"Well that depends if your father has already beaten us to it. Why does he want this destruction of Ooo? What point is there destroying everything? If you want power there's no one to rule over."

"A new Fire kingdom. One with no other meddling kingdoms. Just fire to rule Ooo, and he is their leader."

"You're saying he can create fire people?

"Pretty much, once he conquers all he will be able to use his power to create his new empire in the ashes of Ooo. You may have crippled him a few years ago, but he's more than full strength now. The more he destroys the more powerful he will become."

"What's left of Ooo?"

"I'm not quite sure, we're going to fly down and check around. I don't see anything in the distance, but we should be here by now."

As she slowed her flight and as we drifted closer to the ground I saw a familiar smoke rising from the floor, however, this was different. I could smell something. There was a funk in the air, like burnt rubber.

Something doesn't seem right. I've been to all of Ooo for various reasons, and I've been to the Slime kingdom. If she is right, then something is very wrong. There's nothing left here, if there even was a kingdom. There is no rubble or any signs of life or death. There is simply the blackened soil and light ash and soot blowing through the air.

The more we explore, more of the truth seems to be revealed. The same intense smell of burnt rubber fills my head, making my head spin. I continue to look around, seeing the blackened landscape stretch out for miles. Almost all of Ooo, is like this.

She said that he was planning on taking on the water kingdom then the Slime kingdom. This means he was successful both times. I don't know how he managed to take a fire army and beat water but he did it anyway. I'm guessing that's why she was almost dead when I found her. The ground wasn't smoldering like this. There must have been a lot of water. Whether it was the kingdom being destroyed or a defense, it clearly didn't work.

I don't know how strong this Flame King is, but he is a foe to be beaten. If this continues, there's going to be nothing left of Ooo; however, I won't go out of business. There's lifeforms of all types that die by the thousands.

"Hey, you know where he's going to go next, I'm sure whatever's left of the Slime kingdom is this ash. There's no signs of life for miles. We need to get going, we can't stay here."

"I have no idea where he'll be; I guess wherever the next kingdom is. I don't know what's left though. I'm sure he's close to finishing his mission."

"Well, I guess that leaves us no option, but to find him. Let's get going, nothing left here to look at. We're not going to find help here or anywhere. I'm guessing anyone's who's stood in your father's way has already been eliminated. He must have taken out the water kingdom if he's taken out the slime kingdom."

"Well the Slime kingdom isn't stronger than the water kingdom, in fact it's probably one of the easier for us to defeat. Slime is flammable."

"Hold up. How in the sweet fuck is slime flammable? If anything, I feel it would be as hard to defeat as water for fire. Haven't you ever seen slime, it's practically thick water."

"Listen, I don't make the rules. Since when has anything here made sense? Look at you, since when is the manifestation of Death a man made of flesh? When are there just people made of pure fire?"

"Okay you got me there, Ooo is magical."

"Exactly, so I have a feeling the water kingdom isn't defeated. I know where to go."

"Then let's stop blabbering and goooo-"

My voice trailed off as we rocketed into the sky. She started to fly at an increasingly fast speed. I just held on for my life and waited till we slowed.

~~~~

We had been flying for a few hours now, and I've seen nothing. It seems like we've been flying for nothing. It's been the same sight for all of the journey before and after going to the Slime kingdom, or at least what was left of it.

Suddenly, she started to rocket towards the ground. With the wind flying into my eyes, and being on her back, I couldn't see anything. I was hoping she wasn't crazy and trying to kill me. Before I knew it, we were on the ground, and we were alive. What stood before me was the last thing I was suspecting.

In front of me stood the Flame King as his entire army.

"Well well well, isn't it my only daughter and Finn the Human? I thought both of you were dead, well, I knew you were Finn, but I assumed you'd be dead by now my dear Phoebe." Flame king said with a devious smirk across his face.

"Well Dad, as you can see, we're both very much alive. And soon, you won't be."

His lips curled and his eyes glinted in the sunlight

"Is that so? Good luck trying to kill me. Your little boy toy here couldn't even kill me the first time, what makes you think that you can do it this time."

"Because he's not going to do it this time. I will."

Before I could even react she started running towards the Flame King. I was paralyzed. I wasn't quite sure if she wanted me to help her or she was going to die trying to kill her father. I know a losing fight when I see one, and this sure as shit is one. Not only is he 5x bigger, but I know he has to power to easily stomp out her fire.

I know I should stop her and end this all now, but I don't want to interfere more than I want to. If I interfere, things will be such a shit show when I get back. All the paperwork and filing and organization will literally take so long. However, I can't let her die by him because it needs to be me who kills her, and I don't really want him to exterminate any more of Ooo, especially because I've been gone for a few weeks now.

Imagine coming to the land of the living, just to resurrect a girl back to full health just to kill her, and then let her get killed by someone else. Glob, that would be the worst case scenario. I don't know what I'd have to got through to clean it all up. No matter, I really don't want to do a lot of work. One of them has to die, and the girl has to die by me.

I can't simply kill her then let Flame King destroy the rest of Ooo. For once, I might have to get involved. There goes my conscience again! Do I get it over with, or do I help? I can't keep thinking though, soon the battle will be decided. He will be the victor no doubt. As much as I can see the fury and hatred in her fighting, he is the superior in every way. I've killed enough people to know exactly how a fight will go down based on how the person moves and who they are. As much as I want to be impartial, I've interfered already. I can't let her die not by my hands.

Before Flame kind could land another blow to Phoebe I rushed in between them stopping his fist with a single fist. Despite my relatively small size to him I know I can handle him easily. I've seen how he fights. He's not calculated, he relies on brute strength and speed just like his daughter. He is fueled by anger, I can see right through him. Taking him down will be as easy as taking down a blind giant. All I need to do is to feed into him then strike him.

As much as I'd like to relish a fight like this, I honestly just want to go home. I used my entire strength and threw him 10 feet back. Not very far, but enough to where we could break into fighting stances. I casually unsheathed my sword and looked into its dark, pulsating glow. I felt its energy radiating through me. I knew exactly what to do, he has no idea what's about to hit him.

"You can back down now Flame King. We don't have to do this. I will kill you or you can take your army and stop this conquest."

"In your dreams pretty boy." He spat on the ground, then lowered his center of mass.

I knew exactly what he was doing. He was preparing for launch. He was going to lunge at me with full force, a blow that could easily kill a mortal, but little does he know I can't die, and I am no mortal.

He lunged at me with such fury. I have never seen something move as fast as he is now. However, he underestimates my power. Before he reaches me, I casually slide to the left, seeing his stunned face as he rockets past me and onto the ground just a few feet from where I am. He's on the ground panting. I casually walk up to him. I flip him over with one hand. I stare into his eyes.

I didn't expect what I saw though. I saw neither fear nor triumph in his eyes. I saw a pleading look of despair deep within his soul. He tried to speak but I swiftly kicked him.

"Don't talk. I will not show mercy on a soul like yours. We have a special place in Hell for tyrants and conquerors like yourself. I'll have fun with you in Hell."

"You lie, I will be a rejoiced hero, and you can't kill me boy."

"You doubt me? Well, I guess I'll be seeing you soon."

"With that I plunged my sword deep within his core, feeling his armor easily bend at the blade's tip. I saw his essence slowly drain into the sword. It's red core shrinking even more with the sword pulsating a dark energy. His energy seemed to pour into the blade. In a few short moments, there was only armor where the old king was. I pulled out my sword and re-sheathed it, feeling the new energy pulsing in my hands for a second.

I walked back to Phoebe, her eyes still fixated on her father's armor.

"Hey we're all done now."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, what do we do about your father's army?"

"Don't worry, I can send them back. I am technically next in line. They have to listen to me now."

She casually strolled up to the army. I stood back and waited. Now will be the hardest part. She's been growing on me during this time we've spent together. She has an aura that really matches mine. I like the fact that she isn't scared or even intimidated by me. If I'm really being honest, she scares me a bit.

As the army slowly dispersed behind her, I saw the sun slowly begin to set. As much as she's grown on me. I can't stay here nor leave her alive. Yet, she makes me want to disobey the rules. I've already broken the rules for her, I'm already in trouble when I get back. Maybe I'll make the ride more enjoyable.

"Hey look the sun is setting! There's a cliff nearby, c'mon let's go watch it. We gotta celebrate our victory!"

She grabbed my hand and dragged me towards the cliff. My mind started to race and spin. I don't know how to deal with these feelings. I've never had feelings for as long as I can remember. We reached the cliff as the sun began its last descent into the horizon. Only a few more minutes before the night sets on a now peaceful Ooo. I glanced towards Phoebe and saw her staring into my eyes.

"What are you staring at, the sun's setting you know, and you're missing out on a gorgeous view."

"No I'm not."

"You mean I'm the gorgeous view?"

"Well don't flatter yourself, but yes."

"Not too shabby yourself."

We began to hold each other looking deeply into each other's eyes. I could see the hope and passion burn within her soul. She is at peace in this moment, true peace. Before I could even realize it, or lips were locked together in a kiss.

I couldn't even fight back because I was entangled by her sweet aroma and a feeling of joy washing over me. We continued to stay together, our lips moving in a slow paced rhythm. Her soft lips pressed against mine made all my thoughts disappear for only a second. The kiss ended almost as quickly as it had started. We were both blushing when we broke away.

"We shouldn't have done that." Phoebe said in a bare whisper.

She said the words so softly so I wouldn't hear because she knew she was right. We shouldn't have kissed. This was never supposed to happen, but the way she made me feel something else. She made me want to defy nature.

"Do you even remember me Finn?"

I was shocked. Why would she ask me that? All of the things, but I had to tell her the truth. I didn't know who she was or who this Finn was.

"I don't have to remember you to know that I care about you Phoebe."

All I remember is who I am now. I am the physical manifestation of Death.

"I can fix you Finn. I can bring you back."

I am Death, and I have a mission to do.

"Phoebe, I don't know who I was before this, but I know who I am now. I don't want to change. I'm the decider of fate: Death. The Finn you knew surely died a long time ago. I am not Finn, nor do I remember if I was. I know my purpose, and I have a mission."

I slowly unsheathed my sword, staring into its darkness one last time in the fading sunlight. Its malevolence glowing ever more present. I felt its power in my hands. I stared back into Phoebe's eyes, making eye contact while slowly driving the sword within her. I saw the pained expression slowly fade, as well as the life start to drain from her eyes.

"Farewell Phoebe."

With that the last of her life drained into my sword, all her blood soaking within the sword. I looked to the rising moon, and I smiled. I've done a lot of things in my time as Death, and every day is as uncertain and unpredictable as the last, but there's one thing I know for sure.

Hell's going to be a mess when I get back.


End file.
